Rufat Abbasov

Rufat Abbasov, the founding partner at Synergy Partnership LLC, is a multifaceted professional with a diverse background in various fields, including marketing, finance, and public service.

Professional Experience

• Founding Partner at Synergy Partnership LLC: Since June 2017, he has been the founding partner of Synergy Partnership, a leading PR and marketing company in Azerbaijan. The company offers services such as consultancy, strategic communications, advertising, social media management, and influencer marketing.134
• Financial Sector Roles: Abbasov has held several significant positions in the financial sector, including Head of Retail Banking at The International Bank of Azerbaijan since June 2020, and Deputy CEO at Bank "BTB" OJSC from May 2012 to June 2020. He also served as a director at various branches of Bank of Baku from 2004 to 2012.23
• Public Service and Advisory Roles: He served as an adviser to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Financial Market Supervisory Authority of Azerbaijan from May 2016 to March 2024. Additionally, he was the Director of Communications at the Central Bank of Azerbaijan from February 2010 to March 2013.13

Education

• Harvard University: He is an alumnus of the Emerging Leaders Executive Education Program at Harvard Kennedy School (2016).13
• USI Università della Svizzera italiana: He holds an Executive Master in Communications Management from this institution (2012-2014).3
• Higher Diplomatic College of Azerbaijan: He has a degree in Journalism (2001-2005).3
• Azerbaijan State Economic University: He holds an MSc in International Economic Relations (2007-2009).13

Other Ventures

• CinemaPlus: Abbasov was involved in founding, developing, and later selling Azerbaijan’s second cinema chain, CinemaPlus.1
• Turkish Restaurant Chain: He also founded and managed a Turkish restaurant chain.1

Languages and Skills

• Abbasov is proficient in Azerbaijani, Turkish, Russian, and English, with full professional proficiency in English.3

Current Roles

• He is currently an Advisory Board Member at For Azerbaijan since January 2024 and continues to serve as a member of the supervisory board of several financial institutions in Azerbaijan.3